ior, (as by Fuller), they could scarcely be said to 
be those purely English words which now they 
are. 
These adaptations from the French and Latin 
are the two great enlargements which our vocab¬ 
ulary has received. AU others are minor and sub¬ 
ordinate. Thus the introduction of French tastes 
by Charles II. and bis courtiers, returned from 
exile, rather modified the structure of our sen¬ 
tences than much Increased our vocables. To 
this period we are nevertheless indebted for a 
certain number of new words. In Dryden's play 
of Marriage a la Mode, a lady full of affectat’on 
is Introduced, who is always employing French 
idioms in preference to English—the design, or 
course, being to ridicule such affectation. On 
tbls Mr. Trench remarks:—“ It Is not a little curi¬ 
ous that of these which are thus put Into her 
mouth to render her ridiculous, not a few are now 
excellent English, and have nothing tax-sought 
or affected about them; so often does it prove, 
that what was laughed at In the beginning. Is by 
all admitted and allowed at the last. For ex¬ 
ample, to speak of a person being In the ‘ good 
graces’ of another lias nothing in It ridiculous 
now; nor yet have the words repartee, embar¬ 
rass, chagrin, grimace; which all must plainly 
have been both novel and affected at the time 
when Dryden wrote.” 
It cannot be said that the naturalization or ior- 
elgn words ever ceases In a language which is 
sttll properly living. There are periods when 
this goes forward much more largely than at oth¬ 
ers; but there is never a time when one by one 
these foreigners are not stepping into It. We 
very rarely, to be sure, observe the fact while It 
Is golug on. 
It is indeed Impossible to conceive anything 
more gradual than the process by which a foreign 
word becomes an English one. “It appears to 
me,” says Mr. Trench, “that we may best un¬ 
derstand this by lixing our attention upon some 
single word which at tbls very moment is in the 
course of becoming Engilsb. 1 know no better 
example than the French word prestige will 
afford. Prestige manifestly supplies a want In 
our tongue; It expresses something which no 
single word in English could express; whtch 
could only be expressed by a long circumlocu¬ 
tion ; being that moral Influence which past suc¬ 
cesses, as the pledge and promise of future ones, 
breed. The word has thus nat urally come to be 
of very frequent use by good English writers; for 
they do not feel that, Iff employing It, they are 
deserting as good or a better word of their own. 
At first all used It avowedly as French, writing It 
in Italics to Indicate this." 
Besides this adoption of foreign words, as occa¬ 
sion seems to need them, there are yet other 
ways in which new words are derived. Our lan- 
language admits of two or more words being 
formed Into a new combination, thus affording 
convenient terms of a compound meaning. An¬ 
other way In which languages Increase tbelr 
stock of vocables Is the forming of new words ac¬ 
cording to the analogy or formations, which time, 
acting on the genius of the language, has previ¬ 
ously sanctioned. Thus, upon certain substan¬ 
tives, such as nation, congregation, convention, 
have been formed their adjectives, national, con¬ 
gregational, conventional. Singular as it may 
seem to some, starvation is a word but very lately 
introduced to its. We have It on the authority 
of a writer la Notes and Queries, that It had not 
appeared In any English dictionary published up 
to 1S3C. It sprang up in America, and was first 
used by Webster, it, has since maintained itself 
as a very expressive and serviceable word, i 
Though formed on the model of preceding format 
tlons of a kindred character—Its framer did not 
apparently observe that he was putting a Latin 
termination to a Saxon word—an oversight, how¬ 
ever, of very little consequence, as the compound 
elements admirably coalesce, and In no word per¬ 
haps were ever united better. 
One of the most curious instances ot the devel¬ 
opment of words Is that by which a number of 
nouns, verbs, and adjectives, have grown out of 
proper names. To begin with mythical antiquity 
—the Clilmaera has given us chimerical; Hermes, 
hermetic ; Tantalus, to tantalise ; Hercules, her¬ 
culean. Gordius, a Phrygian king, who tied that 
famous Gordlan-knot which Alexander cut, will 
supply a natural transition from mythical to his¬ 
torical. Here Maosolus, a king of Carla, has left 
us mausoleum; Academus, academy; Epicurus, 
epicure; Philip of; Maced on, a philippic, being 
such a discourse as Demosthenes once hurled 
against him, the enemy of Greece; and Cicero, 
cicerone; Mithrldates, who had made himself 
polson-proor, gave us the now forgotten word 
mlthriuate for anltdote; as rrom Hippocrates we 
have htppocrawj, a word often occurring In our 
early pods, being a wine supposed io be min¬ 
gled accord lug io ids receipt. Lazarus, perhaps, 
an act ual person, naa given us laz tr and lazuretto; 
and Simon .via gin, simony. To come to more 
modern limes, a Roman cobbler, named PasqiUn, 
has given us pasquinade; Colonel Negus, In 
Queen Anne's time, first mixed the beverage 
which goes by his name: and Lord Spencer first 
brought into fashion a spencer. Dahl, a Swede, 
Introduced the cultlvaton of the dahlia. 
MY DREAM OF THE RAINDROP, 
BY MARION WAYNB. 
A few evenings since, I was In my laboratory 
engaged In making preparations for a lecture be¬ 
fore my class lu chemistry. Before me on the 
table were the retorts, the furnaces, the India- 
rubber tubing, the wash bottles and all the 
paraphernalia of the chemist's workshop. At my 
right were two gasometers whose invisible con¬ 
tents were soon to unite in illustrating to the 
tyro the truths of Chemistry. All was ready. I 
looked at my watch; It wanted still half an hour 
to the time flxed for the class to assemble. 
Taking from my pocket the evening paper, which 
I had not yet had time to look at, I seated myself 
In the arm chair Just back of the gasometers and 
read the story of the “Onandaga Giant.” I set¬ 
tled myself back to the strangeness of that story, 
when on looking up I beheld la place of the zinc 
gasometers two beings enormous 1U size, united 
together after the manner of the Siamese Twins. 
To describe these be-lnjs, forms, or whatever they 
were. Is wellnigh impossible. They were ten 
feet or more In bight, ot an ashy color, with 
countenances noble and expressive. I was not 
frightened, but pleased with my strange com¬ 
panions. stooping down they lifted me up, and 
carried *me away. I was borne over the hills, 
through the woods, across the rivers, along the 
mountain ridges, and Into the caverns of the 
earth. The Journey was lODg and I began fobs 
weary o( It. At last I was placed in a garden 
whose exquisite beauty recalled to me my youth¬ 
ful Ideal of Eden. A pure river of crystal water 
flowed at my feet, soul entrancing melodies tilled 
the air, and perfume of delicacy greeted me from 
a thousand flowers whose luxuriance filled the 
landscape sloping at my feet. 
As I was reclining on the green carpet of the 
earth, a dark cloud which I had not before ob¬ 
served came directly over my head, from which a 
single drop fluttered down and lit in the hollow 
of an opening rose bud at my right. This was 
nothing unusual but I was in fairy land. The 
bud commenced to open and soon became full 
blown; from the midst of It sprang a tiny form 
which I immediately knew to be one ot the sprites 
of this goodly place. Without a word of Intro¬ 
duction my little lrlend thus discoursed. 
“ I am the fairy of the rain drop; our queen 
has bade me come and reveal to you the mystery 
of my origin, the names of my relatives, the In¬ 
fluence 1 exert, and my iuture destiny. Listen. 
There was a time when the earth was not, when 
the sun, moon and stars existed only In the 
thought of Him who rules over all. But It did 
not seem good In the eyes of Him that thick dark¬ 
ness should rule In the realms of Immensity. 
The creation was begun. First two fairies were 
made, Invisible and intangible whoso names were 
Oxygenomal and Hydrogenomai. 
With playful glee they ran up and down the 
paths of space, watching the beauties and won¬ 
ders that were unfolded by the great Creator, In 
tbelr wanderings they lighted upon a small orb 
third In distance from the sun, without form. 
Come, said Oxygenomal, the elder, let us beseech 
our Father that he give us permission no make 
this unsightly orb resplendent with beauty, meet 
forhta glory and honor. On light wings they 
flew to the Father’s presence. With the permis¬ 
sion granted them they hastened to their self-im¬ 
posed task. It seemed almost hopeless to them 
with all their fairy power, to bring from tbls con¬ 
fused mass of metals and solids the Ideal of 
beauty they had formed. They began, and under 
their fairy fingers, these rough and uncouth 
masses were transformed Into rock and soli, scat¬ 
tered up and down the surface of the earth. I 
will now, said Oxygenomal, unite myself with 
most of what remains or this mass of rnctals and 
other solids. As she did so, they became under 
his magic touch, a molten mass boiling and seeth¬ 
ing In the center of the earth. All was not yet 
done. There flew to them from distant realms a 
younger sister sprite, whose name was Nltrogen- 
omal. 
Come, said the eldest of the three, let us unite 
our powers and envelop this goodly orb with a 
covering, that shall protect It and regulate the 
eat from within and from without, in which 
also may live man, t he noblest being our Father 
Is yet to create. Under their Influence the world 
was surrounded with a blue covering, forty-live 
miles m depth. And still there was something 
lacking. From pole to pole nothing was seen 
but an arid waste, and a burning desert. The ob¬ 
ject of the fairies was not yet accomplished. 
There was an almost Insurmountable Darrter. 
Oxygenomal and Hydrogenomai pondered long 
and anxiously over tbls, for their world was not 
flt for the glory of the Father. But with all their 
fairy and magic power they grew hopeless of ac¬ 
complishing what they anticipated. Weary with 
thought and sinking lu despair, they threw their 
tiny arms around each other’s neck, and lo! amid 
the thunder or the heavens, they became a drop, 
limpid and pure, clear as crystal, yet variegated 
with all the hues of the rainbow. 
Surprised at this sudden change, they sought 
the world beneath them, and Ughtl-g upon its 
arid S-iUds, a chang*? was wrought more wonder¬ 
ful and beautiful than all that, had yet been done. 
The earth was suddenly covered with beauty, 
forests sprang Into existence, flowers bloomed 
upon a thousand hills, rivers and brooks meand¬ 
ered through the valley s. 
The deed was done; the earth was completed ; 
and the morning stars sang together for Joy. My 
little ntry sank hack into the rose bud, and as 
the petals closed overthe tiny form, the entrance 
of my class awoke me from my dream of the Rain 
Droi\ 
-» ♦ 
THE PHONOGRAPH. 
Will ‘ wonders ever cease ?’ It has taken man 
with all his Ingenuity, research and progress, 
somethousan s of years to become acquainted 
with the properties of atmospheric air. He has 
learned to weigh the earth, the moon and the 
other planets, to calculate their sizes and dis¬ 
tances, to foretell eclipses, to calculate with 
some degree of precision the return of comets; 
has learned to encircle the globe with a message 
In a few minutes, has learned to utilize the eun 
as an artist, and that too, even without his pres¬ 
ence; and all this has been done before he be¬ 
came thoroughly acquainted with the air he 
breaths. 
True, he had learned that air is no Inconsider¬ 
able part of the life of all things that live, the 
medium through which sound and heat travel, 
[That air Is not necessary for the transmission of 
heat Is proved by its absence from Interstellar 
space through which, nevertheless, heat travels. 
Ed.] and although It receives Into Its embrace all 
the tilth and putrescence of the earth,still ills the 
great purifier of the medium in which man and 
all animal and vegetable kingdoms live. He baa 
learned that It Is the most clastic substance 
known, and ho has even conjectured that with 
sufficient force It might be compressed to a solid. 
He has learned that the spores of microscopic 
plants and the genus of disease float In It Invisi¬ 
ble to the unaided eye. But It has been left to 
this latter day for man to utilize this Invisible 
compound gas, not merely as a stenographer, re¬ 
cording words Bpokcn; but as a reproducer ot tbe 
very words themselves, with all the modulations 
of the original utterer. 
What next: Will y ou next Invent or discover a 
process by which we shall be able to see the quiv¬ 
ering, trembling or gyratory and oscillating mo¬ 
tion of the air as It passes through the Intricate 
moves of contending sounds, as It wends Its way 
through intervening hills and forests, or Is echoed 
hack from cliffs and promontories, and still 
reaches the tympanum of the ear that hears It ? 
When you have accomplished this, we may well 
exclaim with Simeon of old “now lettest thou 
thy servant depart In peace.” 
A man by the name of 8ymmes,a few years since, 
propounded a theory that the earth was hollow, 
open at the poles, that vessels might sail in and 
people enjoy life there, and since then a Califor- 
Dlau, without any complement or even reference 
to Synimes, advances the Bame Idea, and further¬ 
more has published a book entitled, “ The Hol¬ 
low World," in which he proves apparently to his 
own satisfaction, that the Inside is much prefera¬ 
ble to the outside as a place to live In, produces 
some startling evidence (If the facts he states 
are real) to prove that the undercrust of the 
earth, the comparatively thin layer between the 
outside and inside of this planet, Is frozen solid 
Instead of belDg liquid Are, as his predecessors 
have taught. 
Who knows that these theorlos are untrue? 
and that wo had better not brave the rigors of tho 
northern pole for the sake of living in a more de¬ 
lightful climate inside ? Tho days are past when 
aGalllleocan be persecuted and Imprisoned for 
saying “tbeearth moves." Go on,ye philosophers, 
‘luid reveal further the bidden facts that shall re¬ 
sult, not perhaps in the increased happiness, hut 
in the Increased wisdom of mankind. Go on in 
your own way, regardless ol the wishes of an ob¬ 
scure individual like myself. But, humble as I 
am, I dare to make the suggestion, whereas 
through the rapacity of man, the umber of the 
earth is fast, becoming exhausted, that for all we 
know coal is limited, while from the removal of 
the timber cold 16 Increasing as well as rain di¬ 
minishing, what shali we eventually do for lights 
and fuel ? Therefore, we pray you to teach us to 
burn water to tire up our engines, to give us light 
and to keep us warm. Is not the thing practica¬ 
ble ? Hydrogen, which constitutes one-third by 
measure of water. Is said to be Inflammable, and 
when separated from the oxygen and burned, 
will It not again unite with the oxygen and form 
water ? If so, one need not fear the exhaustion 
of water by this process. s. b. p. 
-- 
FARMERS AS CITIZENS. 
There Is no reason In the nature of his calling 
why the farmer should not be the peer of the 
foremost of his countrymen luali the essenUal 
elements of citizenship. Paul’s charge to Tim¬ 
othy implied that only through his own fault 
could his youth become despicable. If farmers 
have been despised, they have themselves to 
blame. II they have not gained admission to tbe 
highest social circles, It Is because they have not 
prepared themselves for such circles. If the leg¬ 
islation of the country has been adverse to their 
Interests, the cause must be found in their own 
neglect of political duties. 
If they are compelled to pay as much tax on one 
hundred dollars’ worth ot tbelr real estate as 
other men pay on five hundred dollars’ worth of 
personal properly, It Is because they have dele¬ 
gated their law-making rights to men who have- 
not regarded their Interests. 
The farmer is more than a farmer. He Is a cit¬ 
izen, possessed of all the immunities, and hound 
by all tlm obligations of elttzeuahtp. Society Is 
an aggregate, of which every farmer, as much as 
any other man, Is an integral part. And it Is just 
as exalted or debased as are any of Its eempo- 
nents. Our Government, is of the people ; It takes 
Its character from the people, and Is better or 
worse for the active Influence or the wilful neg¬ 
lect of every farmer. “Every one to his irade," 
Is the cry of the politician. “The farm 1 r to hh, 
plow, the merchant to his store," and ho should 
say, “ I to the public, crib,” He would keep away 
front participation in public affairs a great class 
whose intelligence would detect and whose Integ¬ 
rity would expose and thwart hisBelflsh schemes. 
Farmers, mechanics, manufacturers, laborers, 
all who are honestly strtvlag with head or hand 
to create the means of sustenance, shelter, ana 
culture for themselves and others—all these are 
interested In the just and economical adminis¬ 
tration of Government. 
Giving to the farmer the same general educa¬ 
tion to begin with, there ts nothing In the nature 
of his calling, rightly pursued, which disqualifies 
him from becoming a legislator. Accustomed 
to acquire property by alow but legitimate 
methods, ha places a true estimate upon it, and 
would enact judicious laws tor Its protection. His 
familiarity with, and easy access to farm and 
other laborers make blm a fit man to represent 
the labor of the country, which Is the source of its 
prosperity. 
Does any one question the ability or reliability 
of farmers as legislators for farmers, lot him com- 
par#tho votes of the farmers In. the Legislature 
of his State, the next session, with those of an 
equal number of lawyers or men of any other call¬ 
ing. If, as the New York state Farmers’ Alliance 
affirm, real estate owners pay year by year, five¬ 
fold more taxes than owners of personal property, 
men should be sent to the Legislature who will 
Investigate the subject and provide a remedy. If 
railroad corporations make discriminations, far¬ 
mers andothers who are interested in the matter 
Of transportation, should send toon to the Legis¬ 
lature who will undertake to right the wrongs in 
the carrying business of the country', not fearing 
or neglecting to battle with a wrong because It is 
great Or difficult of remedy. Farmers need not 
neglect their business while they become better 
and more Influential citizens. c. h. d, 
Warsaw, N. Y. 
- 4 -*-*—- 
A RUESIAN STORY. 
The Russian princes in Paris are all men of 
large Incomes, but generally spendthrifts. One 
of them borrowed the sum of ten thousand francs 
from a money-lender, giving his note for the 
same. On the day it fell duo the holder pre¬ 
sented it for payment, and was told by the prince 
that he had no money to waste in paying debts. 
At that moment a gentleman entered, and the 
prince handed him twoaty-thousancl francs to 
meet the losses of tho night, before at the club. 
The lender tore up his noto-of-hanfl. and said, 
when going out: 
“Now, prince, there is nothing between us but 
a debt of honor." 
The prince bowed, and handed over the money 
without a word. The second begins In the same 
way r , but when tho lender presented his note the 
prince flew In a passion, called him hard names, 
and, drawing a revolver, made him eat the note- 
of-hand. 
A few days later the lender received Ills money, 
with a thousand-franc bill thrown iu aB Interest. 
Shortly afterwards the lender received a letter 
from tho prince, Informing him that hewa3 again 
In want of money, and telling him to present 
himself with ten thousand francs and stamped 
paper upou which to write his note-of-hand. 
The lender came with the money. 
“ Where is your paper lor the note?” he said, 
taking the money. 
“Here It Is, prince,” said the lender, draw¬ 
ing a large cake of gingerbread from his coat 
pocket. 
The prince laughed at the joke, and shortly af¬ 
terwards paid the debt, with Interest. 
BRIC-A-BRAC. 
BY C. II. E. B. 
The presents made to churches lu the olden 
time by pious folk or repentant sinners, and the 
charges which appear In their books for popular 
festivals and tho performance of Miracle l’lays, 
throw much light on t he simple realism of our 
forefathers. A notable example occurs In tho 
life of “Malster Conynge,” the hero of Chatter- 
ton’s Rowley Poems. Sir John Harlngton, writ¬ 
ing about, the year 159U, quotes a memorandum 
which was found—among other curiosities—In tho 
cabinet of the late John Browning, Iisq., of Bar¬ 
ton, near Bristol. This curious memorandum, 
which was first printed In Lord Orford’s “Anec¬ 
dotes of Painting,” lu 1 762, sots forth lhat “ Mals¬ 
ter Caliynge hath delivered this 4th clay of July, 
In the year of our Lord 1410, to Malster Nicholas 
Petter, Vicar of Saint Mary Redcliffe, Moses Cou- 
terln, Philip Bartholmew, procurators of Saint 
Mary Redchffe aforesaid, a new sepulchre well 
gilt with golde, and a elver (cover) thereto.” Then 
follows this description of the wonderful gift; 
“ Item:—An Image of God Almighty rising out 
of the same sepulchre, with all the ordinance 
that ’longeth thereto; (chat Is to say) a lathe 
made of timber, and the lrou-work thereto, item 
—Thereto ’longeth Heaven, made ot timber and 
stain’d clothes, item—Hell, made of timber and 
Iron-work thereto, wltb dlvlis to the number of 
tlilrteen. Item—Four knights armed, keeping 
the sepulchre, with their weapons lu tbelr hands; 
that Is io say, two axes and two speuis, with two 
panes—a large she ld which covered the whole 
body. Item—Four payr of angels'wings for four 
angels, made of timber and well painted. Item— 
The Fadre, the crowne, and visage; the ball with 
a erossc upou It well gut with line gould. Item— 
The lloly Gbofetit coming out of heaven Into the 
sepulchre. Item—’Longeth to the four angels, four 
chcvelers (supports).” 
Therk are many liafd thlogs to do in this world, 
but 1 know of none that will dlsguntle a fellow 
more than to use all one’s eloquence In trying to 
persuade a persou to the truth of a thing that 
you feel in your own heart Is not true. Advertis¬ 
ing Canvassers and book agents understand this. 
To blandly acquiesce in the decision of one 
wbomyou wish net to offend, on somepolnt, when 
you know that the speaker Is a ninny-hammer, 
and altogether wrong. 
